1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to moving target detection radar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present and future military vehicles (both ground and air) are being designed with smaller radar cross-sections (RCS). Therefore, to detect such vehicles, the performance of detecting and tracking such vehicles must be correspondingly improved.
One way to provide improved detection performance in radar against low RCS targets is integrate the target echo from a large number of pulses, thus increasing the effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, as the target moves relative to the radar, the target moves through many range resolution cells during the integration time and the intended increase in SNR will not occur.
All prior art in dealing with target range migration problems are based on what is called a multiple target path hypothesis approach. That method relies on the pre-assumed multiple target path in a given geometry and then processing the collected data, either coherently or non-coherently, along each possible pre-assumed target path. The signal processing of this approach is excessive and cumbersome because of the required multiple target paths. One example of such technique is given in Geometric Aspects of Long Term Non-Coherent Integration, Allen et al. (IEEE, Vol. 25, No. 5, Sep. 1989). In addition to the excessive signal processing, another drawback is the ambiguity of a strong fast moving target being construed as several small targets, one in each range bin.
The prior art does not provide an efficient and viable apparatus and method for the detection of fast moving vehicles having small radar cross-sections.